High Temps, Low Scores
High Temps, Low Scores
McMahon, Pierce Leading Aussie Open After Round 1
Photo Credit(s): DiscGolfWorldTour.com
The opening round of the 2017 Aussie Open was many things, but if it had to be described in one word, it’d be a no-brainer; hot. Brutally, punishingly hot to be more specific. As temperatures soared passed 105°F (41°C), the breeze that had once served as a nice reprieve from the heat just a few hours earlier now felt like an earth-sized hair dryer, aimed right at your face. Despite the inferno, several men and women threw some incredible rounds to kick off the first PDGA Major and first Disc Golf World Tour (DGWT) event of the year.
In the preview article we posted yesterday, we talked briefly with Eagle McMahon #37817 about how Mundaring DiscGolfPark could potentially favor big-arm players, himself included, assuming the lines off the tee were on point and the inevitable skips on the super-fast fairways were appropriately accommodated for. Based on the results today, that concept held true.
Eagle’s distance off the tee is matched by no one at this event, and by very few in general, and he now leads the Open division by two after shooting a 12-under-par 53 during the hottest part of the day, unofficially rated at 1069. Eagle’s round really came together towards the end, as he managed to hit consecutive birdies on the last five holes on the course. Meanwhile, in the Open Women’s division, another well-known crusher off the tee is leading the field by six or more; 3X World Champion Paige Pierce #29190.
Video: 3X World Champ Paige Pierce nails a putt from a knee.
That’s not to say that distance is the only thing that plays a role. Due to the absurdly dry and hot conditions, the fast fairways, and thousands of meters of out-of-bounds lines, accuracy is just as, if not more important than, being able to throw far. On a course with nine par 4s and one par 5, where nearly all of the pin placements are surrounded by OB, navigating the dangerous terrain can quickly become more important than where you are throwing your second shot from.
Eagle McMahon on hole 12.
One great example of exactly that would be hole 12, where Eagle McMahon threw one of the most impressive and unorthodox lines off the tee these eyes have ever seen, bombing his beat-in driver on an anhyzer line that would only be considered, or even imagined, by someone like Simon Lizotte #8332. His drive worked, mesmerizing everyone that was lucky enough to witness it, leaving him with an approach of 200 foot (61 meters) on a par 4 that measures in at 836 feet (255 meters).
Eagle McMahon with a sidearm approach.
Even with that mind-boggling drive, Eagle finished the hole with a bogey, as his second shot skipped off the dry grass to beyond the out of bounds line behind the green. With a much more conventional tee shot and approach, Paul McBeth #27523 gained a stroke on the entire card with his birdie.
Paul McBeth (right) and Pasi Koivu (left) both stayed a couple clicks shy of greatness on the course today.
Paul, who is the defending champion here at the Aussie Open, had somewhat of a sticky beginning and end for his round with bogeys on both holes 1 and 18. A total of 3 bogeys and 11 birdies places Paul in 3rd place on the scoreboard, four strokes behind McMahon.
Japan’s top-ranked player, Manabu Kajiyama, turned in a great score today.
The Open division lead card tomorrow will be nearly identical to the feature card that we saw today, with the only change being that Japan’s Manabu Kajiyama #8139 has replaced Finland’s Pasi Koivu #41251. Manabu finished the round with 11 birdies and one bogey, including seven birdies in a row on holes 4-10, matched by no one. Eagle and Manabu will be joined by Paul McBeth #27523 and Ricky Wysocki #38008, both of which are tied for 3rd place, four off the lead.
The women will once again be playing in threesomes tomorrow morning, with the lead card consisting of Paige Pierce, Madison Walker #59431, and Jennifer Allen #15354, teeing off at 10:20am AWST, also known as 9:20pm EST, yesterday. Believe us, we’re just as confused as you are, and we’ve been here for days! Find out more about what happened during the Open Women’s division’s first round on the UltiWorld website.
Recap on the Opening Day Action!
During the opening round of the event round, our social media team was following mostly the feature card on the course. As a result, you can find a lot of photo updates, as well as hole-specific play-by-play videos on the DGWT Instagram account.
We also have The SpinTV production crew piecing together play-by-play tournament coverage videos from the feature card’s first round. While you wait for that, check out our daily facebook live report from right after the round, with interviews of Paige Pierce, Eagle McMahon and Ricky Wysocki.